tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734830559796197063.post4485354746524995760..comments2024-02-22T23:31:27.818-06:00Comments on The Death of The Copier: The IT Guys Are Stealing Managed Print Services- MPS Gets Redefined, AgainUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734830559796197063.post-74528204134435414982009-03-26T11:42:00.000-05:002009-03-26T11:42:00.000-05:00Just found an interesting discussion about Google ...Just found an interesting discussion about Google Apps in the enterprise..here's the link:<BR/>http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2008/05/26/outlookexchange-vs-gmail/Coordinator of the Printernet Projecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08225553436567452557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734830559796197063.post-83067859015612591912009-03-26T11:29:00.000-05:002009-03-26T11:29:00.000-05:00From the POV of the commercial printer, I've seen ...From the POV of the commercial printer, I've seen this story before. What I think I've learned is that becoming a "solutions provider" to talk to the CFO or the CMO is much easier said then done.<BR/><BR/>CFO's and CMO's see printers as printers no matter what they call themselves. It's not pretty but there it is.<BR/><BR/>The mistake that commercial printers made and make is their reluctance to partner with real experts and do a joint sell. They are mostly worried about "owning the customer."<BR/><BR/>I want to put on your piece of the industry, take a very close look at Google. They recently sold the city of Washington DC on using Google Apps for $50/year/a seat. <BR/><BR/>They have a reseller program in place for Google Apps. I think if I were in your position, I would consider selling Google Apps or another Cloud computing ECM, to outflank the internal IT department.Coordinator of the Printernet Projecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08225553436567452557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734830559796197063.post-70883774799621831932009-03-16T16:21:00.000-05:002009-03-16T16:21:00.000-05:00Bob - Thanks for stopping by, reading and commenti...Bob - Thanks for stopping by, reading and commenting.<BR/><BR/>There is a flavor of "deja vu", again.<BR/><BR/>Seems I went through this back when selling and presenting computerized accounting systems(late 80's early 90's) when the "IT Director" was the owners nephew.<BR/><BR/>You nailed it when you say "job security" - if the fleet demands 2-3 maintenance kits a week, send the IT guys, stock the parts, and keep taking the help desk calls at 3am. As long as the IT kingdom doesn't lose populace.<BR/><BR/>But yes, in the classic Professional Selling Model, always go high - not as easy to do as it is to type the words ...<BR/><BR/>Thanks again!<BR/><BR/>BTW - I enjoyed your site -<BR/><BR/>http://www.expertlaserservices.com/Cost_Per_Copy.htmlGreg_Waltershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10110815199532873459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734830559796197063.post-89304589915797196372009-03-16T14:08:00.000-05:002009-03-16T14:08:00.000-05:00That is really an insightful post, Greg. The times...That is really an insightful post, Greg. The times are a-changin' in our relationship to IT guys.<BR/><BR/>I don't see IT as a different breed. Our MPS approach has routinely been to knock on the IT/MIS manager's door first. Sometimes we discover a "propeller-head" but as often as not we find just another over-stressed manager.<BR/><BR/>Strangely enough, either of those can blow us off.<BR/><BR/>The propeller-head often operates in another world where TCO, ROI and P & L statements never impact thinking. And the "normal" fellow may kick us out because -- just like the rest of us -- he's territorial.<BR/><BR/>We come in telling him we're going to take something off their plate. We're going to "ease his pain" in dealing with dumb end-users who pass inkjet labels through their laser printers, etc. etc. But, rather than see them genuflecting and asking "Where do I sign?", their defenses go up.<BR/><BR/>Replacing feed rollers and yanking printer jams in this day and age is nothing less than "job security" for some of their guys. The CFO may not think that's appropriate work for some of the highest paid employees in the building, but the IT guy -- just like the rest of us -- knows that "looking busy" in a corporate environment is almost the same as "being busy."<BR/><BR/>So perhaps the best thing we can do is to refocus our aim onto a different target. The first door to knock on now is the one who sees the big picture and fully understands the connection between smoke-screens and soft costs.<BR/><BR/>It's time to talk to the CFO.Bob Cherniskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14954042284837509878noreply@blogger.com